One County Took a Strong Stand Against Cyberbullying, Isn’t It Time for Your Community?

County Executive Mike Hein signs local law prohibiting cyberbullying in Ulster County.

April 19, 2017

“I am pleased to support Ulster County and County Executive Mike Hein for their forward thinking, understanding and recognition of the need to protect the children of Ulster County from the potential harms of cyber-bullying.”—Jane Clementi, Co-Founder of the Tyler Clementi Foundation

Ulster County is just the beginning. It’s time representatives in communities across the country start important conversations to make cyberbullying prevention a priority.

KINGSTON, N.Y. —Today, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein signed into law legislation that he had proposed, and the Legislature refined, to prohibit cyber-bullying in Ulster County and help protect victims. County Executive Hein was joined by Kenneth Ronk, Jr., Chair of the Ulster County Legislature; Legislator Carl Belfiglio; Legislator Chris Allen; Ulster County District Attorney D. Holley Carnright; Jeff Rindler, the Executive Director of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center; and Jane Clementi, Co-Founder of the Tyler Clementi Foundation and mother of Tyler Clementi – an 18 year old victim of bullying who tragically ended his life in 2010 and focused national attention on the need for new tools to help prevent cyber-bulling.

“All of our children are precious and need to know there is help and protection available,” said Ulster County Executive Mike Hein. “I am proud of all of the work achieved in collaboration with schools, parents and our stakeholders who assisted in developing this valuable tool to hold those who engage in cyber-bullying accountable. As technology continues to advance at an ever increasing pace, our youth are more and more susceptible to cyber-bullying with access to the internet and social media at their fingertips. Cyber-bullying is a serious issue and can be devastating to the victim and their family, and can lead to anxiety, depression and in severe cases suicide.”—Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive

The new law prohibits cyber-bullying of persons under the age of eighteen who are in Ulster County and includes the following prohibitions:

A person is guilty of Cyber-Bullying of a Minor when: with the intent to harass, abuse, intimidate, torment, or otherwise inflict emotional harm on a minor, the actor electronically transmits, anonymously or otherwise:

information about such minor which has no legitimate communicative purpose and the actor knows or reasonably should know that the electronic transmission of the information will cause harm to the minor’s reputation or the minor’s relationships with the minor’s parents, family members, friends, peers, employers,

private sexual information about the minor; or

a photograph or a video, whether real or altered, that depicts any uncovered portion of the breasts, buttocks, or genitals of the minor and said photograph or video has no legitimate communicative purpose; or

false sexual information about the minor; or

information that has no legitimate communicative purpose by appropriating the minor’s name, likeness, e-mail accounts, websites, blogs for the purpose of harassing such minor or other minors.